To ensure that list of booth committee members do not include bogus names, UP BJP in-charge Amit Shah has directed the state leaders to verify names of each committee head and member. There are over 1.40 lakh booths in the state and party has claimed to have formed committees in nearly 72 per cent of them.

Shah has directed district presidents to prepare a database containing contact details and photographs of booth committee heads in form of CDs and send these to him.

Party leaders said it is the first time that such a verification was being done, and cited several reports on district presidents (who had sent list of booth committee members with bogus names) as the reason behind the step.

The job of these committees is to manage booths and keep a tight vigil at the polling booths during Lok Sabha election to help the party’s voters.

Sources said Shah and other senior leaders are directly calling booth heads for verification.

BJP general secretary of Braj region Devendra Sharma said names and contact details of booths heads were being sent to Shah in CDs to help with the verification.

Sources in the party added that Shah randomly calls up district presidents and begins to ask about the status of booth committees and other organisational activities.

Party spokesperson Chandra Mohan said Shah is monitoring the state’s organisational affairs and the verification process to define the members’ accountability.